A True Test of Diplomacy: Feeding the Summit Leaders

By MARIAN BURROS, Special to The New York Times

Published: July 11, 1990

HOUSTON, July 10—
The economic world focused on the business of the seven leading industrial powers here, but Houston's food community has been obsessed since April with the politics of culinary summitry. The chefs and caterers wanted to do their part to make Houston look good after so many years at the bottom of the oil barrel. They wanted everything to be perfect. So why was a chef from Dallas, Houston's archrival, chosen to be the chief cook for the two major summit dinners?

How did it happen that that chef, Dean Fearing of the Mansion on Turtle Creek, chose two Houston chefs - Robert Del Grande, the chef and owner of the city's most acclaimed restaurant, Cafe Annie, and Robert McGrath, the executive chef of the highly regarded DeVille restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel - to help him, but not the city's foremost society caterer?

And why did Washington bureaucrats tell Houston that though they wanted food and services donated, or at cost, any premature release of details would result in cancellation of contracts?'' What's the good of the honor if no one knows about it?

''They are putting the squeeze on everyone,'' said Joe Bacon, a publicist for some of the events. ''They want it dirt cheap and then they swear everyone to secrecy.''

And why would President Bush insist on starting the festivities with a rodeo and country music from Tennessee when Houston was eager to show off its own full-time opera, ballet and symphony orchestra?

Houstonians had hoped the heads of state would remember something about the city besides bucking bulls, bronco riding and a chain restaurant's rendition of barbecued brisket, potato salad and baked beans. That meal was provided free to 5,000 guests at the rodeo by Luther's Bar-B-Q, a 19-restaurant chain based in Houston.

''I get the distinct feeling,'' said Hal Foster, president of the Houston public relations firm Callas & Foster, who has clients working on summit events, that the President ''is actually showcasing the Houston that existed when he lived here a while back. Since those years, Houston has gained a certain level of sophistication.''

The summit festivities were coordinated by a committee in Houston headed by Kenneth L. Lay, chief executive of Enron Energy of Houston, and George W. Strake Jr., president of the Strake Trading Group here, and by a committee in Washington, as well as by Barbara Bush's staff at the White House.

The people of the White House social office had their own ideas about what was appropriate for the formal functions.

Mr. Fearing was chosen by Washington because of mutual acquaintances to prepare the intimate dinner for heads of state Monday night at Bayou Bend, the magnificent former home of Ima Hogg, the daughter of a former Texas Governor. Mr. Fearing also prepared the summit dinner tonight for 110 people at the Museum of Fine Arts. The meal was served in the grand hall of the museum's Upper Brown Pavilion, a gallery where John Trumbull's portrait of Alexander Hamilton was hung especially for the dinner; it was brought from the Treasury Department in Washington.

An aide had left Mr. Bush's notes for his toast back at his hotel, so Mr. Bush simply welcomed the guests, saying: ''There is no work here tonight, no communiques, no amendments, no language to be corrected. We simply want you to have a very good time at this museum we are very proudful of. Make yourselves at home.''

The White House planners had wanted a regional touch to the dinner, but not what Mr. Fearing described as ''cutting-edge Southwest cuisine that just came off our line last week.'' The chefs do not always do as they are told, and these chefs do not do the continental-style food associated with White House dinners.

One of Mr. Fearing's offerings, Texas wild greens, became Texas greens because the word from Washington was, no dandelions. Tomatillos, those little Mexican green tomatoes, were out because someone in Washington could not pronounce the word (toe-mah-TEE-oh). ''The White House used the word 'traditional' a lot,'' Mr. Del Grande said.

In the end, the White House got menus that seemed innocuous enough, but the chefs cooked the food their way. Behind the basil lime sauce for the red snapper lurked mildly hot poblano chilies. Even the innocent-sounding morel sauce for the veal loin had been spiked, oh so gently, with chilies. The plain yellow tomato soup listed on the menu came with smoked poblano, a streak of cilantro cream and avocado relish.

''We had to keep our personal integrity,'' Mr. Fearing said. ''What are they going to do, fire us?'' The White House did not wish to discuss details of the preparations, but after his guests left Bayou Bend Monday evening, the President called the chefs into the living room. He told Mr. Fearing that he had made sure everyone cleaned their plates ''just like at Mom's.'' He said he particularly enjoyed the tortilla soup. When Mr. Fearing asked him if the food was too spicy, the President replied, ''Not spicy enough.''

Because the chefs donated their services and everything else was at cost, the Bayou Bend dinner cost $150 a person, half the retail price. The summit dinner tonight cost $120 a person, $60 less than retail. The State Department picks up the tab.